The Night The World Begins Again (A Certain Holiday Special)
by MCEProd22
Summary: The Adventures in Academy City during the 17 days of their Holiday Celebration. (Will include Index and Railgun Characters.)
1. Prologue: Flight

_**A/N: This Holiday Season allow me to treat you to a Christmas Special of the Certain Series. Takes place after Season 2 of Index and Railgun**_

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><p><em><strong>Prologue: Flight<strong>_

Ahh… the classic running to the airport trope. A tride a true staple of Rom Coms, when the guy wants to prevent the girl he has fallen so madly in love with from walking out of his life forever. Not the situation I would ever place myself in.

_"We got less than 5 minutes!"_

Considering in this case the gender roles here are reversed.

_"The cold's slowing me down a bit so it's not my fault if I'm going this slow."_

Or if you're flying through the sky by way of your best friend/roommate who's the best teleporter in the city, it's bound to get a little bit interesting.

_"I swear I can shock us both out of the sky if you don't speed this up."_

_"Oh you always do motivate me."_

There really is never a dull moment…

…Lovely Academy City.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Stay Tuned**_


	2. 1: December 15th 7:45 AM

_**1: December 15th: 7:45 A.M. Tokiwadai Private School.**_

Academy City, one of the most influential modern cities in the world. Current population 26 Million, yes somehow we have more people than Dehli India and yet were just labeled as a Tokyo suburb. Now 4/5 of this populace are students each here to hone their skills at science or magic. Then of course there are the espers, students with abilities that distinguish themselves from the others.

Any Esper falls into one of 6 level ratings, From Level 0 where you don't show any outward hint of an ability but you're still technically called an Esper, all the way up to Level 5 the most powerful of the group. I think you're beginning to now wonder who I am and what this is all about, well let's take this a step further.

I'm Mikoto Misaka, one of seven known Level 5 Espers currently residing in the city. Of course I've been called many things, shock princess, railgun, the ace of Tokiwadai, Sissy, and that was all mostly by my best friend and roommate Kuroko Shirai. The two of us are students at Tokiwadai Middle School, Kuroko herself is a teleporter rated Level 4 and can be a major pain.

_"Sissy, are you finished yet, we've got to meet the others."_

Especially when it comes to me being in the shower.

_"That shampoo may have you favorite frogs face on it but it doesn't mean you can just hog the bathroom."_

Only the slightest things irk me, and most of them do come from Kuroko. I rushed quickly so she wouldn't do what I knew she loved to do so often.

_"Although we could stand to do this together more often."_

Yep there it is the squeeze, of course the one thing I want to do would end us both. So I improvised.

_"Kuroko, you could have waited till I'm out of the shower."_

_"Yet miss the opportunity to spend some personal one on one time with you is something I couldn't pass up."_

_"Well, if you let me get out and hurry up we could squeeze something in before we have to meet the others."_

Without saying another word I could feel her teleport me out of the shower and back into our room. She smiled winked and went back.

_"Good now I can get dressed."_

I took note of the calendar while looking for the stockings in my closet. Today was December 15th, in just a mere few days our fair city starts its 17 day Holiday celebration that carries through Christmas and New Year's Eve. Around Tokiwadai however it's taken on an informal name.

_"Wasilia is upon us again isn't it?"_

It took around ten minutes for me to get ready and dressed, we only had one afternoon of classes left before the school gets dismissed for its 3 1/2 week break and Konori had asked us to help get Christmas gifts for the gang in the morning before said classes. All that reflecting made me start to think of what I had to get.

_"One for Kuroko, Saten, Uiharu, Mom and Dad, and him…."_

Finally the door opened and Kuroko walked in wrapped up in a towel.

_"Ohh Sissy, you got to love the winter, it's a sheer magnitude of brilliance…"_

As she spouted on about the platitudes of the holiday season I noticed a water trail coming from behind as she went to her closet. One little touch of my finger was all I needed.

_"…I did figure out what to get Uiharu for Wasilia but I needed your…."_ The electricity did its job and dropped her dead in her tracks.

_"Maybe next time you don't ambush me in the shower."_

As Kuroko steadily came to her feet still in shock from my zap there came a knock upon on our door.

_"Sharai, Misaka, open the door I need to speak with you both."_

I threw Kuroko her uniform while I ran over and opened it. To say that we were intimidated by the head resident of our dorm was an understatement, but we knew it would be an interesting incursion when she walked in.

_"Ah, I see you're dressed Misaka, where is Sharai?"_

_"She's dressing in the corner Mam what do you need?"_

_"Were the two of you going anywhere before your classes this afternoon?"_

_"Just helping Kuroko's superior at Judgement with an errand what's up."_

_"As soon as Sharai is dressed I want the two of you to meet me in the lobby. There is an important issue that we have to discuss."_

_"Got it."_

The second that door closed I woke up Kuroko who had mixed her summer and winter unis and straightened her out. While helping with her ribbons we brought up what could be the issue.

_"She's probably asking us what our plans for Wasilia are."_

_"Well most of the students either leave the city to be with their families or have families in the city. The rest can stay on campus if their school allows it. I mean have you heard from your parents at all?"_

_"No, missionary trip to Australia to set up a hospital in the low income parts in Canberra How about yours."_

_"They're getting to know some of my sisters at home so I figured I wouldn't want them to feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of Mikotos."_

My sisters, identical clones taken with DNA from me at a young age. They didn't have that much of a lifespan, but I own them especially #10032 for their help against Accelerator.

We looked at the clock and realized we were short on time. As both of us grabbed our jackets and bags the schedule for the day seemed simple enough. What we didn't count on was just the surprise waiting for us once we talked to the head resident.

_"The dorm's being shut down?"_ Our question was loud enough that it nearly made her cringe.

_"No, not permanently just for the duration of Wasilia."_

_"But why,"_ Kuroko mentioned. _"There must be students who don't have relatives to visit in the duration of the Holiday Season."_

_"One of the students had just returned from a visit to a friend of hers in Texas and it turns out her friend was one of the Ebola cases in the States."_

Our jaws dropped. _"So are we at risk of getting it?"_

_"You two can relax, I have assurance from the city directors that she was not symptomatic at the time of her return and that none of the students at Tokiwadai are at risk of catching it. However, she was contagious on the day she returned to the dorm and remains in isolated quarantine pending her test results. But her presence required the entire dorm to undergo a complete detoxifaction and cleanup."_

Now my face was one of sheer confusion. "_Where does that leave us?"_

_"I've spoken with everyone in the dorm who had not confirmed their intentions of leaving the city, they have made holiday arrangements accordingly. All of the students, except you two."_

The two of us looked at each other confused and concerned, a wrench had been thrown into our plans and now we don't know what to do. The head resident got up from her chair and so did we.

_"You guys have until the 17th at 6 pm to make your arrangements accordingly. Otherwise there are a few spaces at Asunaro open, and no I will not be joining you for Christmas. Let me know before then because the hazmat cleaners will start at 8 PM that night no matter what. "_

As she walked off we got our winter jackets on and headed out into the cold morning. The snow that covered the plants and grass did twinkle back into our eyes. Kuroko wasn't kidding when she said this was the most wonderful time of the year.

_"So what do we do now Sissy?"_

_"Let's just help Konori first, we can text Uiharu and Saten to meet us after class. We already know they're not leaving the city."_

Kuroko's glove met mine and we began our flight. If there is one thing to admire about her teleporting it's that when she gets far above the buildings you do feel like you're flying.


	3. 2: December 15th 10:30 AM

_**A/N: The POV will switch between characters randomly. Pay attention there may be a pattern.**_

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><p><em><strong>2: December 15th 10:30 A.M. 177th Branch Office Judgment.<strong>_

The morning milk, one of my favorite things of the day, it certainly takes the sting out of the workload.

_"Ok, I have a little bit before they get here. Anything interesting I could do."_

When you're technically clairvoyant like me anything can be interesting, but luckily we've not seen any major case activity or civil service in the area, so that did allow me to catch up on class work.

_"Now where did you leave off Mii?"_

The workload on all fronts was nuts but I'm really talented when it comes to balance. 20 minutes later while knee deep in calculus the alarm at the front door went off.

_"Crud"_

The security camera did have an intercom so I could at least see who it was.

_"Oh, it's Sharai and Misaka."_

That's what I needed to do today, the gifts. The intercom was easy enough to find.

_"Hold on guys I'll…"_

Sharai however still continues to surprise just as she has from the beginning.

_"…Let you guys in."_

Without so much as a turn to the door she teleported themselves right next to me spooking whatever good luck I had so far right out of me.

_"Sharai are you sure you're not Level 5 yet, because somehow you never could do that stealth mode before."_

_"Sadly not yet."_

With that out of the way, the two of us reviewed some recent incident reports from the last month while I saw Misaka in the background looking around at a tablet I had on the couch.

_"Hey Konori, you doing some fantasy sports thing or what?"_

_"Hey give that back."_

I rushed for her and luckily grabbed it right before she threw it to Sharai, and knowing previous tosses would have ended up in disaster.

_"That's a little bit private, do I ask about your Gekota obsession like Sharai does on a daily basis."_

Without me realizing I set her off Sharai jumped to my spot and teleported me outside street level before I could hear her calming Misaka down. I know she's the Railgun of Tokiwadai but she could have a better sense of humor about things. After what seemed like a good 3 minutes freezing outside, I came back in and went over exactly what our plans were.

_"Ok, so how many stores are we stopping at?"_ they asked in unison.

_"3 Total,"_ My response came while I grabbed my tablet with a shopping list saved on the front of it. _"Browsing at the mall and I have to get some packaging to send stuff out. I know you guys have to get to class by 1:30 so this hopefully won't take more than an hour."_

As Sharai shut down equipment I motioned for Misaka to follow me outside. By the time we were street level I pulled out the tablet to show her just the item in question.

_"This was what you were looking at earlier. The fantasy sports page was a ruse."_

_"Konori, this looks like your red jacket."_

_"It's a replica, custom designed just like mine, the work Sharai and Uiharu do with me could never be repaid in full. Especially when I finally graduate school and leave the city. It's an easy way to show that were a team."_

_"So, how are you going to get this without Kuroko finding out?"_

_"That's where you come in."_

The face on Misaka went sour as I told her of the plan. A few minutes later Sharai joined us and we began our walk to the mall. For winter Academy City does have an elegance the holiday decorations could not better emphasize. Almost everywhere you could see lights, and good cheerful moods, it's as if all the bad stuff that we deal with at the 177th Branch suddenly took a holiday. Sharai I could tell was wanting to hurry along so she could get her gift for either Uiharu or Misaka

_"Is there such a thing as too much?"_ Misaka asked while reaching for some snow on the street. "_Commercialism is bad enough at Christmas, now why does it have to spread to Academy City."_

_"It's not all about the goods Sissy. The Holidays remind everyone of who or what means the most to them in the world. Me for example, my 3 best friends and Konori. You on the other hand have me, Kamijo, Uiharu, Saten, and a certain frog on your…"_

_"Kuroko!"_ As I saw Misaka give chase and Sharai run off in the cold in luckily the direction of the mall. It did give me some time to reflect on what Sharai mentioned. Minus my partners, and occasionally Misaka and Saten, who else meant the most to me in this life?

Another 15 minutes passes and we finally reach the mall. As I saw Sharai went for the nearest tacky clothing shop Misaka followed me into an electronics depot.

_"Konori what about the jackets?"_

_"That's why I brought the tablet with. The store in the mall that does the jackets has a pick up today option, so I can do the jackets and finish my shopping by the time they're done."_

As the two of us carefully designed the jacket and got it ordered, I could tell Misaka's attention was turned elsewhere.

_"They have Gekota Tablets!"_

Sharai was right about one thing, her and that frog. The three of us ended up on our own for the next hour and a half browsing, and buying, it was almost 1:20 when I got the notification about the jackets on my phone. I wondered how to get away when luckily their forgetfulness came into play.

_"Oh Crap. Kuroko it's almost 1:30 we got to get back."_

Misaka grabbed Sharai away from a massage table and I followed them out the door.

_"Guys what about your stuff?"_

_"Send mine back to the dorm."_ Misaka yelled. _"Kuroko wants you to hold on to hers, she'll be by to get it later."_

Before even saying bye and thanking them they teleported away. The downside to now carrying three loads of goods is that you can't really get far.

_"At least they keep it small."_

While at the shop waiting in line for the jackets I call a cab. The mess was bad enough to get in, but my streak of good luck continued when the driver refused my tip and offered to carry the stuff all the way up to the office. It was nice knowing I was his good deed for the day. I held the jackets aloft as I placed them into the boxes they will be wrapped up in. The sheen or the red jackets matched every single detail of mine down to the last bit.

_"Not bad Mii, not bad."_

So far this Holiday season was turning out to be an excellent one.


	4. 3: December 15th 2:55 PM

_**A/N: We now switch sides to the Index half. Let me know if I should include more characters on this side.**_

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><p><em><strong>3: December 15th 2:55 P.M. Classroom of Komoe Tsukuyomi.<strong>_

_"Okay everyone, now as most of you know this will be the last time well be together this year before the long break begins. The Holiday season can be considered by some to be one of the most wonderful times of the year and at other times depressing. You should not however consider yourselves unlucky if you don't have anyone to share in this wonderful time of the year…"_

Just a little bit more of her and the long break will begin. Somehow at least I'll miss her stature and smile. Although the odor or booze and nicotine makes it a bit harder to stomach. As I look at the clock waiting for that very last bell for 3 weeks my thoughts turn to my roommate at home. Index may be the type who knows what Christmas can truly represent, and if my appreciation of the nativity can help make her happy then I'm all willing to do so. The good mood that put me in made me want to pass out and just as I'm about to she notices.

_"Kamijo!"_

The yell nearly knocks me out of my seat and just as she turns to demand an explanation there comes that magical last bell.

_"Okay that's it everyone Merry Christmas to all of you I won't see around in the city. Be safe and make the best of it."_

With that the room slowly empties, as I struggle to get to my feet Ms. Komoe wanders over to my side.

_"Kamijo before you go can I have a word?"_

As she offered her help to steady the chair as I got to my feet I did notice the small scent of something other than her usual odor.

_"Treating yourself to the candy canes?"_

_"How did you know?"_

_"It's Christmas that smell is everywhere."_

_"Speaking of Christmas Kamijo, I'm wanting to know what your plans were for the Holiday."_

_"My parents were coming into the city after Christmas so I'll be alone with Ms. Index."_

The look on her face mixed with a small tear of sadness and wonder. "_No one should be alone on Christmas even if you're with someone you've barley met earlier in the year."_

My face suddenly grimaced into an uncut mix of confusion and dread.

_"Ms. Komoe I'm flattered but..."_

_"I'm not asking you to come with me to my place, besides you've seen how unkempt I am. You know who Ms. Tessou and Ms. Yomikawa are right."_

_"They're from Anti-Skill right?"_

_"They're having a party at Tessou's place and invited me along. I want you and Ms, Index to join us."_

Before I could politely refuse she handed me a note.

_"These are directions to her apartment, we promise to keep it under control since you two are minors."_

With that she helped me get to my feet and I walked out. It was a long walk back and given the cold not one I could get used to. If winter taught me one thing it's that you can get a lot of people mad just by using Image Breaker to turn of the building heat. While walking by an electronics depot there was an item in the window that caught my attention.

_"128 GB Gekota Shaped Tablet."_

Gekota, an annoying frog mascot that children in this city find as popular as Bart Simpson in America and Pikachu in Tokyo. Children and one other person that I know.

_"Misaka…"_

My encounters with the ego driven Mikoto Misaka, one of the two most powerful non magicians I've dealt with have either ended badly for her or me. Thanks to that good hand of mine canceling out her Railgun there was many times I've fled from her range Accelerator however changed my perspective of her. Now next to Index I would call her the best asset in my life. The question though would be if I would get a gift for her, would she accept it from me. All I knew was that if it was to be that, it better still be there by Christmas.

_"Those better not go quickly."_

The rest of the walk got me pondering what I would do that night. By the time I arrived home Index answered that question.

_"Toma, where were you?"_

Index and that cat she picked up were slumped on the couch nearly in dire straits as the slowly stretched in unison.

_"You two haven't moved at all, all day?"_

_"Well after you left I looked online for Christmas specials and spent the bulk of the afternoon watching them."_

Sphinx, what Index named that cat, nuzzled at my feet.

_"You fed the cat didn't you?"_

_"No, we wanted you to get us both food when you got home."_

If the guys didn't aggravate me sometimes, I'd get more grumpy at Index when she does stuff like this any other time of the day. The cat food was easy enough to get and within seconds Sphinx went to town on the food. 15 Minutes later the two of us sat down and ate. While I gobbled down some orange juice, I thought about the offer that she gave me earlier today. If they weren't coming into the city until after the 25th than I would need something to do with and for Index that night. Mere minutes passed until she cleared off her plate and was going over to the sink to wash it, that when I knew it was time to bring it up.

_"Index, were you wanting to do anything for Christmas?"_

There was a look of pure concentration in her eyes like I never saw before on her.

_"My teacher had invited us to a party with two of her friends, you remember Ms. Komoe right."_

_"The only non-esper you know."_

_"If I remember correctly she helped you heal up on the night that we met so I do believe you owe her."_

_"Toma, I'm a nun you know I got to go to Christmas Eve Mass that night."_

Oh boy, forgot she was part of that Church of England stuff. My face did go sour at that but Index sensed my mood and perked up.

_"I can go to that party, if you're willing to go with me to mass that night."_

_"I could but does Academy City even has a Christmas Eve mass."_

Of course that would set off her robotic mode. From what I could tell that night when Ms. Komoe helped heal her she would go into a trance whenever she needed to connect with the spiritual side. Mere 5 minutes was all it took before she came back to life.

_"I found us a church."_

_"Where exactly?"_

_"Four blocks behind the Garden of Learning"_

With my dumb luck, both normal and Image Breaker induced the buses won't be running that night anyway. But of that's what it took to make her happy then I'd gladly swallow my pride.

_"Well I'm in Index."_

_"Toma this isn't something you can get in to, the Christmas Eve mass gives people in the church the right to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas."_

_"Which is…"_

Before I realized it Index pulled up a clip from a show called Peanuts on the TV. A kid in a green hat and orange jacket was on a stage with a single spotlight shone.

"_**And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night…"**_

My jaw was dropped open for a mere 10 minutes. Index came up behind me and whispered something audibly.

_"Now do you get it Toma?"_

_"A little bit."_

Between Misaka and Index, my shopping list just grew a lot more confusing.


	5. 4: December 15th 5:30 PM

_**4: December 15th 5:30 P.M. Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant.**_

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><p><em>"What time were they joining us?"<em>

_"Misaka texted me saying they'd be out of class at 5:00 so I'm not sure what's taking them."_

_"There is one good thing about the cold."_

_"Which is."_

_"You can't flip up my clothes in this weather."_

_"Yeah, but those poinsettias can be yanked off your headband."_

If Saten can make me lose my grip about one thing it's the flowers. I'm just glad I was able to get the flowers carefully removed and switched to something more festive.

_"Uiharu, have you started to think about what you're getting them for Christmas anyway."_

_"With Sharai I know exactly what, Misaka on the other hand is a little bit more difficult."_

Personally it's not hard to go online and find a gift card to a frilly clothing store. Those two will be taken care of. It's Saten that's going to give me a headache when it comes to picking out a gift.

_"Oh look I think that's them outside."_

Saten spotted them rushing up the street from the window. Misaka giving Sharai an angry look probably wondering why she wasn't teleporting theme in. My time at Judgement with Sharai of course had me knowing the answer.

_"Sharai doesn't teleport that well in the cold."_

As the door opened and they pointed out where they were joining us, we moved our stuff so they could scoot in. Sharai joining me and Misaka with Saten, what the standard combination.

_"Anything new with you two today?"_ Misaka asked looking at a menu

_"Not much, just have a couple more days of class before break."_ Saten responded glancing at the same menu. _"What about you guys, your text mentioned you were in a bit of a hiccup."_

_"Yeah, Sissy and I are homeless."_ Sharai brought up with a tear in her eye.

The two of us shed tears while Misaka angrily shed a shock to Sharai knocking her back.

_"We're not homeless Kuroko, we just need somewhere to go, and definitely not Asurno."_

As the waitress came and took our order, they explained their situation about the Ebola quarantine. Our jaws dropped in unison.

_"So where were you guys going to stay."_ I asked feeling curious but starting to guess what will happen.

_"Well…"_ They both said in unison.

Yep they're asking us. I may be hesitant but Saten did smile.

_"Come on Uiharu, we should let them. I could have one and you could have Sharai."_

That got me a little peeved. _"Why does Sharai always have to be stuck with me?"_

_"Well you two are partners, and you should always stick close."_ Misaka pointed out.

_"Saten are you sure both of them cant' stay with you?"_

The face of Sharai started to get more angrier with every disparaging thing we said about her.

_"Uiharu, you know if it's a little much for you to deal with Kuroko, I can stay with you."_ Misaka kindly offered. That did make me feel a little bit better and I nodded in agreeance.

_"So Saten."_ Sharai now tuned and asked. _"How do you feel about doing a little modeling for me after I move in?"_

Saten's face now went sour at that thought.

_"What kind of modeling?"_

_"Let's save that surprise for after I move my stuff in."_

After that calmed us down the food arrived. The dinner sure know how to throw in a festive flair with their free candies. Homemade candy canes that tasted even better than the plastic ones. It took us about 25 minutes to finish eating and the whole time Sharai kept trying to make Misaka eat hummus. By the time we exited and went back out into the cold our plans were being finalized for the rest of the week.

_"You guys sure you don't have that much to carry."_ I asked them as we began the walk.

_"No, From what the head resident said the bulk of our non-essentials would have to be deep cleaned so we wouldn't need more than what could be fit into a bag."_

_"Easy for you to say Kuroko you have like 10 things of frilly evening wear."_

_"And what else do you have besides your Gekota PJs Sissy?"_

I could tell that made Misaka want to zap her so Saten and I decided to have an excuse to turn tail.

_"Well guys well see you tomorrow."_

Misaka waved us off while Sharai teleported them away. Knowing the cold it would likely be to a bus stop so they could get back. As our attention now turned to the cleanups we needed to do in our apartments so they could move in, Saten had a bit of unease in her eyes.

_"Uiharu, are you sure you wouldn't rather have both of them in one place."_

_"Saten you worry too much, I mean its just for the Holiday season, they'll be back into their room by early January."_

_"I sure hope you're right about this Uiharu."_

The two of us reached our split point where we would have to go our separate ways. I could see Saten pull out her phone to check the temperature than put on a pair of earmuffs. That made me put up the hood on my jacket. As we set off I could tell that Saten had forgotten something so I turned around.

_"Uiharu, are we still going to watch the Hobbit on Wednesday?"_

_"Yeah of course we'll met you guys there."_

With that we were off. When it came to the split point my place was closer than hers. As I walked into my apartment somehow the eagerness of what would transpire reared its ugly head. Misaka will be living with me for 3 weeks. In addition to the 5 gifts to grab and now I got to get her a thank you card as well.

"I wonder if they make Gekota greeting cards. I'll ask Sharai maybe she'll know."

The walk up to my door was a bit whimsical especially for the winter, the door was cold to the touch as i opened it. For late in the evening my forgetfulness can be a little much. The place needed some cleaning and I got that done in no time flat. Before I could go change into my nightware the phone went off. As my flower headband went on top of the dresser I grabbed the phone.

_"Hello Uiharu speaking…"_

_"Oh, Konori, well we have to help with a friend of ours…."_

_"Oh, ok we'll be there right away in the morning. You have a good night.."_

Well there goes me helping Misaka settle in. As I changed the fingers did the rest as the text for Sharai went out. Within 2 minutes the reply came back and had one word.

_**Seriously**_

With that response, that was all today wrote as I snuggled into bed. 17 Days of holiday wonder start in a mere 48 hours. Let's hope that's all that happens.


	6. 5: December 16th 12:00 PM

_**5: December 16th 12:00 P.M. Tokiwadai **_

_"Sissy did you want to go do something before Uiharu and Saten come by to help us with our stuff?"_

Kuroko was almost never that quiet, somehow knowing that well not be sharing the same room for the next 2-3 weeks must be getting to her. 

_"Well, there is that **Big Hero 6** playing at the theater 4 blocks from their school. We could go watch that quick and then meet up with them after the movie."_

_"Are you sure we should go, what about our stuff it wouldn't make sense to do 2 trips."_

_"Well we can do what you did for Haruue by teleporting the stuff in."_

Kuroko sighed heavily at the thought, for her it looked like much more work than she wanted to do for today.

_"Sissy, I'll need line of sight otherwise the stuff would end up anywhere. Do you happen to have picture of the inside of their apartments?"_

Luckily for her I did. My phone may not be as advanced as hers or Saten's but it did have a certain charm to it. 

_"Okay pulling up picture now."_

As soon as the picture of Saten's place came up, Kuroko touched her bags and within 15 seconds they vanished.

_"Okay, now what about your stuff Sissy, do you want me to send it over or no?"_

_"No, I don't have that much to carry so you can help. Besides we got until 4:00 before they get done with class to help us."_

With that the two of us left. On our way outside the school gates we noticed hazmat crews beginning to setup outside the building parameter. Whatever that student did while infected with Ebola must be a lot bigger than we first realized. As the time passed on our way to the theater for the 12:55 showing Kuroko went into detail on why she and Uiharu got called into judgment earlier that morning.

_"Bell ringing?"_

Kuroko sighed heavily.

_"Let me guess, from what Konori had me do it's probably a lot of charity work."_

_"Standing outside in the cold air taking donations is not what I'd call charity work. Well if you call giving away any change to charity work then you must not have that much in the first place."_

_"If the donations they rake in go to help those in need, like supporting the orphans at Asurno then I can gladly support it."_

_"You can but not I…"_

There was a little bit sour a mood as we continued to the theater. Kuroko then started to hum a really familiar tune. I know it wasn't that song that him and I know but it was catchy. A good 3 minutes past before I started to know what it was and hum along, and 30 seconds later I started to sing it.

**_"Are you, Are you coming to the tree. They strung up a man who say they murdered three…"_**

When we saw **Mockingjay** about a month ago with Kuroko's friends Kinoho and Maaya from the swim team the song got caught in our heads for a good 2 weeks. Without realizing it Kuroko then traded off with me.

_**"Strange things did happen there no stranger would it be. If we met at midnight…"**_

Then both of us sang. _**"…in the hanging tree."**_

I Did not picture that we would be singing that song for another good minute until we finally got to the theater. The two of us getting inside with time to spare was a good thing. Until I heard the last voice I ever wanted to hear on a good day.

_"Ohh, candy…."_

As Kuroko grabbed the tickets I saw her. If Toma Kamijo was difficult enough to deal with on his own then Index, the Nun from the Church of England was nearly impossible. The long white robe of hers was the only thing I did admire as it stood nearly still while she loaded up on chocolates and gummies.

_"Sissy…"_

The moment Kuroko came up behind me was one time I wish in hindsight I could have dropped her. As that happened Index heard her and turned around.

_"Mikoto, Kuroko?"_

Next came the hug and boy was it tight.

_"Index…let us go."_

_"Oh sorry."_

With that she let us go and switched places with us so we could get popcorn. Not sure why she waited for us but after a good 5 minutes she came back over.

_"What are you guys doing here? It better not be to mess with Toma cause he's had a really good last couple of days and he's not letting anyone wreck it."_

_"Toma's here with you?"_

_"Actually he's doing some shopping for his family. Bought me a ticket for Big Hero 6 and went on his way."_

Well didn't see that coming, were at the movies with Index and she motioned for us to follow her to the theater. As she showed us to three empty seats we wondered just what Toma was doing today that made us trust her. While Index set up I grabbed Kuroko and pulled her to the door.

_"Kuroko, can you get us out of here?"_

_"Sissy, I thought we were going to see this together?"_

_"Well I didn't count on Index hampering in and ruining whater fun this was."_

I started to make my way out and I could see Kuroko motion for Index to stay put. We were outside the theater when Kuroko stopped me in my tracks.

_"Look, I've had a really rough week and this upcoming separation is going to be more rough on me than you so can you please do me this one favor."_

Well what do you know, her famous whine, not again I'm not getting sucked back into…she's not….I swear I'll….

_"Oh, Okay, if it will appease you. But you have to sit between Index and me."_

The way her face lit up with excitement made me tell that this would backfire for me. The two of us walked back in and sat down. It actually amazes me that in that next 2 hours we managed to have a really great time. The dog on that cartoon reminded me in a way of Kuroko not wanting to accept change but always being there for the good stuff. Now as we clued into the tale of Baymax in San Fransokyo, there wasn't a sleepy face in the theater. The whole time I just kept thinking of how odd would it be if someone had made me a suit to power up my Railgun. As convenient as it would have been not to carry loose change the fashion issue came into play.

_"I could never pull of yellow. Gogo has it so easy."_

Almost losing myself had Index wake me up the second the movie ended. We walked out genuinely surprised at the quality of the film.

_"Wow, comic books are actually fun."_

Index hit the nail on the head. As the three of us walked out we calmly said goodbye and walked away. By the time the movie got out we made it back to our room and grabbed the rest of my stuff it was nearly 3:00 as Kuroko was doing a final check.

_"Sissy we have to give the head resident our cards for the room do you have everything?"_

The one item in my closet of course I had to take with me, was the stuff that I left with Konori and she dropped off. Squishing it in besides my nightwear was hard but I managed to stick it in.

_"Well?"_

_"Yeah, I've got everything."_

My bag was all full of what I needed for the remainder of the year. As we cleaned the rest of the room before we had to shut it our minds wondered on exactly how deep a clean she was talking. The second we finished we got a good last look sighed and closed the door. The head resident waited for us in the lobby and extended her hand for the cards.

_"Sharai, Misaka I trust everything is in order for you two?"_

We both nodded and she looked outside and shot a nod to the awaiting crew.

"_We'll see you in 3 weeks."_ She pulled out a radio and gave word to the school admins that the dorm was all clear.

As we walked back out into the cold a good dozen members of the cleaning crew entered the building and began to remove the lobby furniture. Our fearless head resident was barking out instructions and it wasn't until we cleared the school grounds that we finally realized what was about to happen.

_"So Sissy, are you nervous?"_

_"Kuroko why would I be nervous, were just not going to be living together for 3 weeks, It's not like this is permanent."_

_"You don't know how long this could take, something could go wrong and put the entire school at risk."_

_"Besides if you're that nervous about me living with Uiharu we could skype every night?"_

_"Well Saten does have facetime so if we could..."_

That thought quickly subsided as we began the walk to Sakugawa but Kuroko did have on other pressing issue.

_"How long do you think well be waiting?"_

_"Depends on if we can teleport to get there faster."_

_"Not that far but I'll see what I can do."_

With that we were flying once again, although slower than before. With Uiharu and Saten due to join us in a bit the question for her may be how long until she has to let go.


	7. 6: December 16th 3:55 PM

_**A/N: Today is 2 for 1 and hopefully the rest of the week will get more than that. As always subscribe and fav for more.**_

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><p><strong><em>6: December 16th 3:55 P.M. Sakugawa Middle School. Student Lockers.<em>**

_"Saten, Misaka and Sharai are coming in a bit, are you almost ready?"_

_"Just give me a minute."_

Where is it, the last thing I wanted to forget before Sharai moved in with me tonight and I had to misplace it. Knowing her she would want me to do something to remind her of Misaka as I could tell shed be a little lonesome without her.

_"Well I'll look for it tomorrow."_

As I closed my locker there it fell. A Gekota shirt that Misaka had given me 6 months ago I kept it here to spare her feelings but remembered it as we made arrangements. I grabbed it slipped into my normal shoes and got my jacket on. Uiharu's poinsettias stood out in the cold as I put on my earmuffs.

_"Saten what took you?"_

_"I just had to get something for Sharai ready."_

_"It's not fancy undergarments is it?"_

_"No of course not."_

That peeved me off a little bit. As much as I wanted to pour snow down her jacket, since the skirt flip was not happening I let that slide as we headed for the gate. We knew that Sharai and Misaka were coming our way right around the time we got out of school so it would be a good 5-10 minutes of waiting, and that allowed us to start thinking about them living with us.

_"How bad is Sharai to deal with one on one? Just give me a little preview."_

_"Saten she's not that bad, even when I'm guiding her into the field Sharai always knows how to get things done."_

That made me feel a little bit at ease.

_"Although when it comes to someone who can teleport, you'd best be prepared for getting dropped off in the weirdest of places."_

With that we ended up getting into another 7 minutes of going over the minute details of what to expect as we would end up spending time with them.

_"Now the fashion shows that Sharai mentioned what woul…"_ Before I could get them out I could feel a hand on my face and since Sharai was known to pull up out of nowhere it was obvious who it was.

_"Ruiko my dear friend, if were really going to be living together for the next 17 days you may want to keep that mouth of yours closed a little bit tighter."_

Next to Uiharu I saw Misaka laughing nervously about the encounter and that led Uiharu to bring up the elephant in the room.

_"How long have you guys been standing there?"_

_"Only 3 minutes, 2 minutes earlier we landed on the roof of your school and saw you guys talking so Kuroko held off on bringing us in."_

With that Sharai needed to be shaken off so I stymied my way to a snowbank and with one quick use of Uiharu's hands she fell backwards into the bank. As she slowly recovered any footing while shaking all matters of the wet stuff out of her crevices we started walking ourselves. 20 minutes later we came near to the dinner and that's when we did notice that Misaka was the only one with a bag.

_"Misaka I see you have a bag but where's Sharais stuff?"_

_"Actually I sent my stuff over to your place before we left this morning."_

_"Oh really?"_ How could she even get into my apartment without… Teleporter…. But no from Tokiwadai to my place is still too far.

_"Sorry about that Saten."_

_"Wait Misaka, why do you have to apologize?"_

With that she pulled out her phone and explained the situation with Sharai's stuff and I allowed the lapse to slide.

We ended up having a good meal and I swear there was literally no way Uiharu could stuff that much ice cream but it was impressive.

_"How are you not getting brain freeze right now?"_ The three of us just asked her so callously still shocked and somewhat impressed.

_"Well the thermal hands does help warm it up a bit so the cold never bothered me anyway."_

And thus the _**"Let it Go"** _jokes began.

Within 10 minutes of us leaving the dinner we came to our split point. As the two of us let them have a moment alone we pondered our plans for the next few days. Minus Hobbit we wouldn't be seeing much of each other until Christmas Eve. It seemed that my reminder of Christmas Eve gave a look of shock on Uiharu.

_"Oh crud."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Konori wanted to have a gift exchange between the 5 of us at the 177th."_

_"A Gift exchange?"_

_"Besides telling us where we'd be bell ringing she wanted to do a get together for a sleepover at her place on Christmas Eve."_

_"Well I'm on board."_

_"Me too but the question is…"_

Well the tears of my about to be roommate gave that question an answer right away. As I pulled Sharai away from Misaka, who looked like she wouldn't have been released for any reason. We said goodbye and went on our way. The 20 minute walk to my place was spent very uncomfortably between us. 10 minutes of silence, 3 or whimpering, and 6 of more silence. It was when we saw my building that Sharai finally spoke.

_"Well Saten shall we get this started?"_

Her hand grabbed my shoulder and suddenly we stood outside my door.

_"Hey, warn me when you're doing that."_

Of course that once again made her whimper so I calmed her down while opening the door. Of course her stuff stood out like a sore thumb and while putting her bag on the futon I set up before class this morning. I looked at her while she looked at my stuff.

_"Well was there anything else I can do to make the futon of mine more comfy?"_

_"Yes, do you have lace sheets?"_

_"No?"_

_"Then I know where were doing right away tomorrow morning."_

As Sharai began placing her stuff in empty drawers my one lone thought about this next fortnight.

_"And so begins this long, lone upward climb."_


	8. 7: December 17th 1:00 PM

_**A/N: The Second entry for today will finally go beyond the core main 6 characters.**_

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><p><em><strong>7: December 17th 1:00 P.M. Apartment of Aiho Yomikawa<strong>_

_"What are we doing decorating this big plant. Wonders Misaka Misaka confused and perplexed by the placement of the tree."_

_"Easy, Last Order it's called a Christmas tree and they decorate it around this time of the year."_

Between Tessou and Anti-Skill and these two at home it's a wonder how my schedule of things to do becomes so crowded. At least Mr. Accelerator put himself to good use and went shopping for food needed for the party. But the always inquisitive Last Order can be a bit nerve wracking.

_"Now, these glass spheres, you know that they really don't have to be placed up that high on the branches. Misaka Misaka mentioned while noting the branch strength is lacking."_

_"Luckily for us this one is an artificial tree so those branches can hold up all sorts of weight. Now how about you keep placing those bulbs and I'll set up the lights."_

_"Right away, responded Misaka Misaka wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible."_

I know she can't control the whole referring to herself in the third person thing. But would it kill her not to throw the sarcasm in the mix.

As the strands became untagled and the lights went up the columns there was Last Order hapilly humming a Christmas carol to herself as each bulb went on the tree. For once in the few months both her and Accelerator have been living with me there is a sense of hope for brighter days ahead.

_"Oh can you grab the ornament box from my closet when you're done?"_

_"Right away."_

At least that time the third person narrative was kept in check. One plug in and we were in business. Once Last Order handed me the box she noticed the beauty too.

_"Wow, this is really beautiful. Misaka Misaka brought up in sheer awestruck."_

_"I'll tell you one thing, it will look better tonight once we get the lights on the tree up."_

Last Orders humbled smile was broken by the ring of the doorbell.

_"I'll get it."_ As I went to the door wondering what help the sourpuss needed with the bags it dawned on me what I was forgetting.

_"Oh yeah I need to get something for…."_

Yet just as I'm about to finish that thought, the door opened and there she was.

_"Oh Tessou, nice to see you around my neighborhood."_

From the look on her face it seemed like I was in for an ugly surprise.

_"Aiho were getting called in, you weren't answering your phone so I figured I'd stop by."_

Well boy was that surprise ugly.

_"I think this is my day of Tessou, besides me and her over there were thinking of going through the Christmas Village they're setting up in the center of the city."_

Tessou looked at Last Order curiously while I noticed her placing more of the ornaments on the tree.

_"Its not that long of a meeting and that village is near the office anyway, besides I think they have something to keep her occupied."_

That did allow me to think even if it went late there would be something to keep her busy until we got done. Him on the other hand, well I know she'll have to go with me as those two alone are not the best combo.

_"I've got a call to make then well get going."_

His number was 5th on my speed dial and yet calling him wasn't the easiest thing. But I did end up reaching him.

_"Hey, did you get everything…, OK, they called me into work. No, No I'll take her with me, just stay out of trouble, we should be back by 5:30."_

With that Tessou saw me hang up and I noticed Ms. Order finishing the job she was doing.

_"And it's done, announces Misaka Misaka taking pride in herself."_

The two of us looked on actually impressed by the tree, for someone who never celebrated Christmas before she sure knew how to make it bright.

_"Nice going."_

Rubbing her hair in confidence allowed me to slip her jacket on her.

_"Hey what's going on, Misaka Misaka asks confused by the jacket getting put on her for no reason."_

_"There's actually something really interesting in the center of the city I want to show you."_

Without so much as a word from her she was dressed and ready to go. The walk into the city was of course cold but it was full of wonder and of course tomorrow the 17 day celebration begins, and well end up having to provide security detail for the tree lighting. Thankfully a Christmas Village was set up nearby Anti-Skill offices so I can leave her alone for a bit.

As the three of us came on the outskirts of the village, we noticed the crowds of families heading in and out of the rows of trees lights and petting zoo animals. Quite adorable, especially to Last Order who looked like she could rush over and pet them to death.

_"How are those cute little sheep handling the cold?"_

_"I'm sure there's a heating unit in those barns Tessou."_

The walk through the light show ended up leading to a make your own gift area, loads of young kids with crafts and supervisors, an open table came into view and I sat down with Lo trying to get her started on something.

_"Hey can you do a favor for me?"_

_"What exactly is this favor asks…"_ I covered her mouth trying to get her quiet, she got the hint and calmed down.

_"Well, I figured you could use this time to make Christmas gifts, you do have 4 you need to give."_

Tessou looked at the varieties of gifts being made by the young kids. While at the same time I led Lo in the instructions of making one of the gifts, she got it quickly enough and went to work.

As Tessou motioned me that we had to get going I could tell she was really getting into the action.

_"Last Order, we have a meeting at Anti-Skill across the street from the village, we should be back in half an hour."_

_"Okay, but hurry back I want to give big sister her gift right away. Mentions Misaka Misaka wanting to see the look on her face."_

Tessou and I walked out and quickly headed across the street. As we walked in I gave one last look at the action across the street in the village square.

_"Sure hope this doesn't take a while."_

_"Aiho hurry up were late."_

That led us inside.

Of course a short meeting always ends up going over schedule and we got out 45 minutes later than scheduled.

_"So do you think shes still in the craft area?"_

Tessou did bring up my fear and we rushed straight through the village. Of course there was still another 15 minutes before the gift section closed but my mid was racing.

_"Oh No."_

For the life of me we couldn't see her. I know for sure Accelerator wouldn't be by here to pick her up so the worst fears raced through me.

_"Crud, shes a clone I can't even."_

_"Ms. Tessou, Aiho I'm all done. Misaka Misaka yells from behind them wanting to surprise them."_

Surprise she did, we ended up dropping to our feet.

_"Oh you guys are hilarious, Misaka Misaka mentions waiting to help them up."_

As she got us up Lo was carrying a bag and I could tell based on the tissue paper it was from here.

_"You said you're finished?"_

_"Oh yes, four gifts like you told me, one for Accelerator, yours, big sisters, and I even made this for Ms. Tessou since she came with us today. Misaka Misaka brings up while handing Tessou her bag."_

Tessou smiled nodded at her and Lo nodded back.

_"Come on guys lets get back, I'm sure Accelerator is wondering where we are."_

As the three of us left the Santa in the background smiled and waved, we did too and turned our discussion to the meeting.

_"All were doing is providing security for the tree lighting. Why does that warrant that long of a meeting."_

_"Frankly after all the troubles this year with Skill out and level uppers I was looking forward to a nice quiet holiday season."_

Lo noticed us talking back and forth but I'm glad she didn't question it. Even if we had a threat on the city I'm not missing out on this Christmas for anything.

Looking at Lo and that beautiful face of hers.

_"Especially with you three."_

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hopefully this 2 chapters motiff will continue for the rest of the week.**_


	9. 8: December 17th 10:45 PM

A/N: I have the bulk of this all finished. The timing of the rest of the story will still be off. Two more chapter today. And hopefully the rest by the end of the week.

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><p><em><strong>8: December 17th 10:45 P.M. Near Uiharus Apartment Building.<strong>_

_"Now that was sad."_

_"Come on Uiharu what was so sad about it, if you've seen Lord of The Rings you know what happens next."_

_"Misaka, that was the last Tolkien movie ever, and that song **The Last Goodbye** even proved it as such."_

_"I guess I could see that, we heard Kuroko singing that to Saten as we walked off after the movie."_

The four of us had just gotten out of The Hobbit, as we had a shorter walk then Saten and Sharai we found ourselves on the finer details of the movie.

_"What about that song got to you the most?"_

_"Well it has to be the words, the soul that came out of the guy singing at the end."_

Misaka brought up a good point it was sad to hear it especially coming from the guy who played Pippin. Within about 2 blocks of my place we started hearing the song in question and before we knew it we were singing.

"_**I Saw the light fade From the sky, on the wind I heard a sigh."**_

"_**As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers I will say this last goodbye."**_

"_**Night is now falling so ends this day the road is…"**_

Oh crap that was my phone, as I pulled it out I noticed one odd thing.

"_So who called you?"_ Misaka asked.

_"That's weird must be a wrong number."_

_"But my question is how you got the song as your ringtone when the movie only…"_

The realization came on her face and I helped clue her in.

_"Saten showed me how to get a prerelease download when I got our tickets yesterday and made it my ringtone. Didn't remember it until just now and I thought for sure we were hearing it somewhere."_

With that out of the way we walked up the stairs and got back home, shivering the whole time. The jackets then came off as we sat down on my floor. We had a bit before we were going to turn in so the question pretty much became.

_"Well now what?"_

_"I'm not sure, was there anything you needed to do tomorrow?"_

_"Actually that's when Sharai and I begin our 3 days of bell ringing."_

_"Kuroko did mention that. So where exactly are you doing that."_

_"Middle of the mall courtyard, right where the shoppers come in and out."_

I could see Misaka in thought, the place would be all hers tomorrow so she didn't know what she could end up doing.

_"Well I did have to get my gifts wrapped up so I'll just stay in tomorrow."_

_"That did settle that."_ My nightware came on almost as fast as the headband came off. As I saw Misaka climb to the top bunk my thoughts came over my head.

_"Oh crud what am I getting her."_

I let that wear off as I fell asleep noticing Misaka's Gekota Pjs were poking through the top bunk.


	10. 9: December 20th 1:25 PM

_**9: December 20th 1:25 P.M. Mall Courtyard.**_

_"Okay ladies today's our final day of bell ringing. Sharai seriously ,can you even try to put on a little bit of effort today."_

Easy for you to say Konori, that maid outfit makes you look like Mrs. Claus had a fling with a Japanese pilot.

_"Well I'm all for it." _Uiharu smiled and twinkled her bell.

That of course wanted to make me scream but I managed to keep my cool as we dispersed. The short walk over to the set up kettle had me cringe. Bell ringing, I've seen lots of TV shows and online news stories where the people did get robbed.

_"Oh well lets get this started."_

Out came the bell and our ringing began. The last two days I considered tedious and late yesterday I began finding creative ways to ring. sideways, vertical, from below, and even balancing on top of the kettle. Today however I decided on something new.

_"Hmm, how did that song of Sissy's go?"_

Just like that it came to me and the bell rang out the song ive heard Sissy hum so many times its begun engraved in my head, that gave me a good 15 people. It was another 35 minutes of alternating between the peanuts theme and Taylor Swift when my worst nightmare popped in.

_"Well, look who decided to spend her free time bell ringing. When there are other and better ways to give."_

Kongo, that annoying twit. Of all the people to see me act a fool why her.

_"Thought you would have left the city already Kongo?"_

_"My flight leaves this afternoon but I needed a case for…"_

Suddenly I felt a shiver up my leg. At which point it dawned on me who that was.

_"Oh Ekatrina, you musn't do that."_

Reptiles don't like the cold and I just stayed still enough so she could get that annoying snake off me. Slithering back into her owners jacket was just what it needed.

_"Whoops, anyway she needed a case and I couldn't find anyone in school who had one. Plus the delivery timing would have put it well after class started back up again and that would have meant…"_

Another ramble. Don't know whats worse about Kongo that snake or that mouth.

_"Uh Kongo, what time did you say your flight was?"_

_"4:25?"_

_"I'd check your phone?"_

One look at her phone was all she needed to get panicked. She dropped change and barley managed to keep that snake of hers bundled up as she ran off. That would end up making my highlight reel of the day.

Five hours and 7 heat warmers later Konori called it quits as we gathered our buckets.

_"So how did you do?" _Uiharu asked me curiously.

_"After freaking out Kongo I got about a good 20-25 more people. You two?"_

_"Well I think I had a homeless person linger around me just for the warmth. Otherwise 19 total."_

_"Guys seriously why do you consider this a compettion?"_ Konori yelled at us. "_This is going to a lot of people in need right here in the city. How selfish do you two have to be.?"_

_"Were only counting this, plus we needed a wager so we'd decide whoever got the least has to get you a gift."_

That shut her up and we managed to clean up and be on our way back to the office. By 7:30 Konori had everything all tied up so she sent us on our way but not before giving us some details.

_"Oh guys, mention this to Saten and Misaka, but the gift exchange will be Wednesday at 4:00 here, plus sleepover at my place afterwords."_

We both nodded and she sent us on our way. Somehow Sissy better like my gift as I went through a lot of trouble to get it.


End file.
